- Nethra Intern at Mind Splatters
February and March 2023
"#hustlehard, #mondaymotivation, #getthatbread "
If you’ve ever heard or come across these phrases, you have already seen the embodiment of this hustle culture in our world today. In a generation of increased connectivity and faster technology, this culture of hustling is considered to be the ideal state of working. Working long hours, being available all of the time, and having no hobbies or interests outside of work all are seen as a “stepping stone to success” when in reality it takes individuals down a rabbit hole of eventual burnout.
This culture of tirelessly and continuously putting in extremely long and arduous hours of work is promoted and romanticized by many. This phenomenon picked up the pace with the onset of motivational social media influencers and freelance workers according to Forbes. It’s the idea that in order to be successful you need to be working with no breaks, because “nothing worth it comes easily”. This kind of mindset not only puts tremendous amounts of pressure on an individual while promoting a culture of toxic positivity but also is creating a generation of individuals with problems of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and various such conditions as a result of their overworking themselves.
This kind of notion is based on a completely capitalist mindset viewing human beings as nothing but commodities whose worth is determined by their productivity. But the fact is, human beings are so much more, we are complex, social beings, vessels of emotions, opinions, and a limit. This “grind” that is glorified, causes people to slowly and virtually lose interest and all the joy that they started off any job/task with. This is not only confined to working professionals but also individuals in educational institutions.
Ever caught yourself feeling guilty about skipping a meeting or delaying an assignment, or feeling like just how much you do, it just isn’t enough? These are all ideas and mindsets instilled by this idea of hustling continuously. According to Psychology Today, this hustle culture is based on the operant conditioning mode which motivates individuals to work in expectation of some reward that is provided and intermittent and fluctuating points in time, which in turn motivates them to work harder and longer.
This kind of work culture not only kills creativity, and lowers satisfaction, but instills feelings of shame and insecurity in an individual. It leads to burnout which according to the WHO, is a “Syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
●feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
●increased mental distance from one’s job, feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
●reduced professional efficacy."
In this kind of environment, your body is constantly in fight-or-flight mode and the stress hormone ‘cortisol’ is continuously circulating in your body which can trigger not only social anxiety in the workplace but also as a consequence lead to generalized anxiety and depression in an individual, as well as physical ailments like heart problems and also memory impairments as well.
From the times of the pandemic, this has reportedly seen to become worse, as individuals now working from their laptops and phones were unable to draw clear boundaries to separate their work from their personal lives, since they were considered to be available 24*7 as they were working from home.
Many countries in the world like Japan, have been reporting cases since the 2010s of deaths due to heart failure caused by overworking and burnout. At this rate, a lot of the younger population of the world is set to experience burnout at quite a young age as a result of this culture.
It is extremely important that we prioritize ourselves and our health - both mental and physical. It is imperative we as a population learn to accept and acknowledge that failure is not an end-all, and to know that all of us are constantly trying our best all of the time, which is tiring. It is okay to take breaks, to refocus and regroup after a while, to step back at times, and most importantly, to learn to define boundaries to create a space and time solely for yourself. Some ways you can do that is through :
1.Create time for self-care - Do an activity/hobby you like that is unrelated to your job/education.
2.Be aware and assertive about your limits and boundaries - Learn to put down your foot when you realize something may go beyond your mental and physical capacity and convey your boundaries
3.Be kind and proud of yourself - It is unfair to compare yourself to others, everyone is their own unique person with their own unique pace of development, so don’t let yourself be shamed or guilted into feeling lesser than others, you are so much more than your productivity and your achievements.
4.Celebrate your victories - In the midst of hustling and working hard all of the time, the small things and the small victories often go unheard, give yourself the time and space to appreciate and celebrate yourself.
We as a group must take steps to systematically break down these structures of toxic positivity and in its place instill an environment that fosters hard work and efficiency while also prioritizing your mental and physical wellness by creating an accommodating and accepting environment.
an extremely trending toxic culture! so glad you covered this. sad to see people sweeping it under the rug claiming that people are just too "sensitive".
in these times where hustle culture is at its peak and burn out is inevitable, this was a great reminder to try and steer away from that toxicity and take a moment to breathe! <3
This needs to be talked about more. Thank you for sharing this!